Electronic device with guard ring

Abstract

An electronic device includes a substrate, an insulating layer arranged on the substrate, the insulating layer having an opening in an area of the surface of the substrate, an active layer arranged within the opening on the surface of the substrate, the active layer including a guard ring in those areas of the surface and of the active layer which are adjacent to the insulating layer, and a contacting layer arranged on an area of the active layer, the contact layer being adjacent to an area of the guard ring. The device may be produced by a process of three-fold self-alignment, to be precise utilizing a spacer process by means of which a diffusion source having a lateral extension far below the lithography limit is made possible.

1. An electronic device comprising:
 a substrate; 
 an insulating layer arranged on the substrate, the insulating layer having an opening in an area of a surface of the substrate; 
 an active layer arranged within the opening on the surface of the substrate, the active layer including a guard ring in a first area of the active layer which is adjacent to the insulating layer, wherein the active layer and the guard ring have side faces adjoining to a side face of the insulating layer such that the active layer and the guard ring are laterally bounded by the insulating layer; 
 a contacting layer arranged on an area of the active layer, the contact layer being adjacent to at least a portion of the guard ring; and 
 a doping structure arranged in the opening of the insulating layer on the surface of the active layer and at least partially covering the guard ring. 
 
   
   
     2. The electronic device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the active layer includes a semiconductor material, and wherein the contact layer includes a metallic material. 
   
   
     3. The electronic device as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the semiconductor material of the active layer comprises a first type of conductivity, and wherein the guard ring includes a semiconductor material having a second type of conductivity which differs from the first type of conductivity. 
   
   
     4. The electronic device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the active layer comprises a semiconductor material having a first type of conductivity; 
 the guard ring includes a semiconductor material having a second type of conductivity which differs from the first type of conductivity; and 
 the doping structure includes a semiconductor material comprising the second type of conductivity. 
 
   
   
     5. The electronic device as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the doping structure includes a doped oxide. 
   
   
     6. The electronic device as claimed in  claim 4 , further comprising:
 an auxiliary structure arranged in the opening of the insulating layer on the surface of the doping structure which is disposed opposite a side flank of the insulating layer and a surface of the guard ring. 
 
   
   
     7. The electronic device as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the auxiliary structure exhibits an etching rate, with regard to an etching medium, which is higher than the etching rate of the material of the doping structure with regard to the etching medium. 
   
   
     8. The electronic device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the substrate includes a contacting area configured to provide electrical contact to the active layer. 
   
   
     9. The electronic device as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the contacting area is guided to a first external pin in an electrically conductive manner, and wherein the contacting area is guided to a second external pin, which is insulated from the first external pin, in an electrically conductive manner. 
   
   
     10. The electronic device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the active layer includes an active region; and
 wherein the doping structure is arranged to at least partially cover the guard ring and to not cover the active region of the active layer.